Last March, faced with the prospect of a tuition hike, UH students organized a sleep-in and a massive show of force at a meeting of the Board of Regents.

It worked. The board voted it down.

But the universitys tuition rates are well below the national average. Lawmakers can hardly be blamed for hesitating to divert scarce resources to a university that cant bring itself to ask its students to carry a fair share of the fiscal load.

Indeed, the tuition increase schedule voted down last year was entirely reasonable and needed. We wouldnt be surprised if the regents failure to support UH President Kenneth Mortimers request for those hikes contributed to his decision to resign.

Now a similar schedule of tuition hikes is back before the Board of Regents. Ideally, the students will recognize the writing on the wall and accede without protest.

But if not, its incumbent on the board to find its backbone this year and do whats required. Tuition increases are a must.